MATT Mills is just one booking away from suspension – but would gladly pass up an opportunity to face his former club Leicester City if it helped get Wanderers back to winning ways on Boxing Day.

The big defender joins midfielders Darren Pratley and Chung-Yong Lee on the proverbial disciplinary tightrope until the yellow card amnesty at the end of the year.

But while a caution at Barnsley would mean sitting out when Wanderers travel to the King Power Stadium on December 29, Mils is not about to let his situation cloud his concentration.

“I was flicking through the programme before the game on Saturday –- I don’t know if it was a good or a bad thing – and turned to Kevin (McNaughton) and said ‘I am on four bookings,’” he told The Bolton News. “I was aware of it but you can’t let it affect you.

“If I have got to take a booking (at Barnsley), it’s one of those things. Of the four bookings I have got, three were ones you have to take for the team. That’s the way football is. If that arises again, I will do what I have to do.”

Before a tough-looking trip to the East Midlands, Wanderers will be heading to Oakwell to face a Barnsley side now managed by Danny Wilson.

Mills admits there was something depressingly familiar about Saturday’s draw against Charlton – a tale of more missed chances that drew widespread criticism from supporters – but refuses to be too downbeat about Wanderers’ recent woes.

“We’ve been here before but there is no point dwelling on it,” he said. “We must get over the disappointment quickly and use it in the right way. The amount of chances we created was good to see but we need to finish it off. We can’t let that frustration creep in – players and fans alike – because it doesn’t do any good.

“There are still a lot of points to be played for. If you look at our performances in large parts of recent games we are inches away from cutting teams open. I thought it could have been three or four (against Charlton) but it didn’t fall our way.”

Wanderers seem to have found better form on their travels this season, even though in total they have taken one more point at the Reebok than they have on the road.

“I am just glad we have got the games coming thick and fast,” Mills added. “The stopping and starting with the international breaks at the start of the season didn’t really help us. It’s good we have got a run of fixtures. We have got to use our frustration to get a result at Barnsley.”